College Station is home to the Texas Engineering Extension Service, which is unique to Texas and the nation. For more than 80 years, TEEX has provided hands-on customized training for already-employed firefighters as well as men and women entering the work force. I was privileged to witness the high level training and the personalities behind the scenes.

At Brayton Fire Training Field, people from around the world enter the elite firefighter training and emergency services instruction. Every July there are three weeklong sessions, Spanish Fire School, Industrial Fire School and Municipal Fire School.

Nothing screams unselfishness like a firefighter sweating profusely from running around on a 98-degree day with 80 percent humidity, layered under thick pants, a jacket, helmet, facemask, boots and gloves. Regardless of the intense sun beating down on this hot July day, I was hard pressed to find a student or instructor without a smile on their face.

There is an unexplainable sense of camaraderie surrounding the field, as instructors and students teach and learn from each other. Jokes, laughs and helping hands were not lacking around these men and women.

Many firefighters have volunteered their time to attend the school. After speaking with several students the consensus was the same: they attended because they wanted to learn and prepare for any situation that might arise.

Being a firefighter is one of the most unpredictable jobs in the work force. Not only did these men and women say they were concerned with the safety of their communities, but they expressed their extreme loyalty to their fellow workers.

When Larry Brown, of Baytown Texas was asked why he chose to attend the school, he said, “Because I know that the guy next to me is willing to do the same for me and I want to be prepared for whatever is thrown my way.”

The firefighters’ love for what they do is apparent as you make your way around the grounds of the school and the various stations. They work day in and day out learning new techniques to put fires out and keep their communities safe, but the fire inside each of them for what they do is inextinguishable.